how to get credibility, leads, name exposure and product sales VERY fast

[Rob Toth]

This started as a reply to Dan's post:
http://www.jvnotifypro.com/community/index.php/topic,3688.0.html

But then I went off on a bit of a tangent (go figure, right?) ...

Instead, I ended up covering some pointers of how to get credibility, leads, name exposure and product sales VERY fast in true JVs (not just what often gets labelled as a JV which is basically "go sell my stuff")


re: your point about "if I emailed Frank and asked him if he needs help" ... well that's the wrong attack plan.

Think of what you could do for him... pitch the service THEN make it free (in trade for X).

Specify all that.

I'm no Frank, but I've had a good handful of emails or skype messages over the years saying "Rob, can I work for you for free in trade for a bit of your time". Okay, well I know they'd like a bit of my time in trade. still general but that helps, but what specifically are they good at? What are they at a competent level at? Where do they feel I could leverage their time and skills?

Anyways... I *DO* agree that a great way to get in the door with someone (whether "IM guru" or other) is to propose an irresistable offer. And if that means you'd ghostwrite something, product develop something, research something (or whatever) then the trade-off might become a very irresistable offer.

It also tells the individual that you're serious enough AND value your time/guidance enough that you're willing to tip the scales greatly in their favor.

Same principle applies to first products.

There are a lot of people with GREAT product ideas... ideas that just sit there untapped. Or great products... products that never got proper distribution, never got proper exposure. I'm not much for product development myself. I more enjoy sales system development, creative buzz strategies, networking, advertising strategies, etc. But if I was gung-ho creating great products, you can bet that I'd be getting in touch with relevant authorities who have the distribution I want.

Someone who can get 50,000 people to read an offer just from a couple of emails can mean 1500 sales of my fancy $49 XYZ Product. That's $70k sitting there. So you can be sure that my approach to that contact would initially be "I'll develop the product, the funnel and everything on my time and my dime... you can tweak it and brand it to your needs... YOU will get ownership, I'll simply be introduced as co-creator and you walk with 90% of sales but I get access to the leads that opt-in for this".

I did ALL the work. I created the awesome product. Yet I'll HAPPILY take 10% (if I was just getting started! no today of course!) because that's $7k in my pocket based on my example JUST from his mailing let alone affiliate promotions. BUT what else did I gain that's worth infinitely more to me? Association with that top name (as co-creator) so now I have the attention of all others in the market. I get access to the leads associated with this campaign letting me mail a future offer to them. And I get a case study/testimonial from this JV of how much my creativity and efforts made this big name expert... I simply go flip that into more and more projects.

A very quick way to gain credibility among elite, top established experts.

A very quick way to gain access to tens of thousands of leads.

And a nearly fail-safe way to ensure you generate healthy 4-figures or even 5-figures from all your initial products.


Not many people take that approach though. Too bad.

They don't let them realize the simple fact that the MONEY is in the distribution.

There are great books, great musicians, great ideas everywhere that never get the distribution wheels turning.

So if that massively powerful asset is what you want to tap into... know the "big picture" and really jump in to capitalize fast and big from it.

By the way... the above is equally true in all sorts of niches/industries/business models. There are heavy hitters and major player companies in anything. If you want access to their credibility and their distribution, be prepared to REALLY tip the offer in their favor to make it irresistible.


ADVANCED TIP: Have some float money? Know a great product developer or ghostwriter with a tonne of talent and very strong work ethic? Make the above offer to the top guys as you would but pay the ghostwriter/ product developer to create the product for you. They get paid. You get a product that you can setup an amazingly powerful JV with. Just something to chew on...

[citrus]

That post could be packaged up and sold for $xx and I'd be happy to pay it.

This isn't quite for total beginners, seeing as you'd need to be able to do some market research and have some knowledge of sales funnels, not to mention outsourcing and other basic-intermediate stuff.

But I think anyone who has been around for at least a few months can do this.

It's weird...the overwhelming majority of IM beginners go the exact same path: they stick up a blog, slap a few Adsense ads on it, make a few posts, and submit a couple articles.

Two years later, they're still wondering about stuff like "what autoresponder is best" and "how do I do keyword research".

Ok, now I'm going a bit off-topic :P

I guess what I'm trying to get at is to think big picture, like Rob said.

Also, don't be afraid of the experts. Gurus don't bite...most of them are human beings as well ;D

One excuse that people often make for not contacting gurus is that "oh, they probably wouldn't reply anyway". It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

Plus, anybody worth contacting would be easily contactable, whether through email, support desk, phone, or otherwise. Perhaps that wording was a little strong..but still, you know what I mean.

Also, experts love helping people, especially those who are proactive. While most of them are in it to help people as well as to make money, making money is still obviously a pretty big priority.

That's why Rob's strategy is so good:
-find out what they might want/need
-come up with a solution and do it for them (their time is valuable - don't waste it)
-all you ask for is a tiny cut (or not) and access to the leads

They get all the work done for them. They get exclusive rights to a (quality) product that they didn't have to pay a dime for. They get a warm fuzzy feeling from helping someone (you) who obviously deserves to be helped.

Best of all for you, this is relatively easy to do. And fun.

Within a year (or less) of implementing this uber ninja strategy, you could easily find yourself in the "inner circle" of IM. Your name will be recognized, your list will be sizeable and responsive (provided you don't screw up your email marketing), you'll attract the attention of other players in the market, and people will be asking you to promote their stuff.

And that's quite realistic. I'm getting ideas as I type this. I feel like I just robbed somebody...I got something really valuable without paying ;D

Best,
Curtis

[Tom Wetherald]

Great Post!

I think you did a pretty good job covering it all. You’ve shared some incredible and amazing information that’s going to enable us to skyrocket our personal success. It's much appreciated.

I hope you have a healthy day.

Tom

[Rob Toth]

>> most of them are human beings as well

Ha! That's cute. Yeah there are a few that I have my doubts about too... possible part-cyborg or bionic-marketing-men seem to exist out there. And rarely but every now and then you come across a slimmey little critter too. But MOST of them are human beings. ;)



>> One excuse that people often make for not contacting gurus is that "oh, they probably wouldn't reply anyway". It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

Fear of rejection and loss self-esteem (or something along those lines) tie in here.

If you seriously doubt the value of your proposal, then either (1) you have an internal dialogue problem you need to fix QUICK! or (2) maybe your proposal really ISN'T valuable and you should revise and upgrade it.

It's along the same lines of why so many service providers charge piddly change for their expertise. "Who am I to charge $30, $40, $60, $100+ per hour ... when my father worked all his life for $22/hr. Who am I to deserve $300/hr" (or whatever, doesn't have to be per hour but you get the picture).

Either work on your self-esteem (ie: mindset) or improve your proposal. But if your message, your product, your offer, your proposal really is something taht would excite YOU if the roles were reversed then damn rights you should be chasing up any top authority that you want to deal with.

And never put anyone on a pedastal.



>> That's why Rob's strategy is so good:
>> -find out what they might want/need

Thanks for the kudos.

And that comes from hands-on experience too. Back in year 1, (clueless, no skill, no assets, no credibility year one!)... I connected with a well known marketer who holds a 110k mailing list and can push out sales quite easily... I offered to create a product for her and politely asked for 15-minutes of her time so I could better explore what product I could create for her. I mentioned she'd get full PLR to it and I would not sell the license to anyone else. It would be her product (though I mentioned, I'd retain PLR options for myself). All I asked is in trade she'd seriously consider my own next product release as an affiliate.

I didn't need (or want) her to commit to promoting for me... I just asked that when I DO launch my own product, she gives it her serious attention to consider my proposal.

Yup. Got her attention. We never moved ahead on the deal but she told me she referenced that conversation as an example to many of her clients and peers. I still keep in touch with her to this day. She has been a contributor in 2 of my products and a top affiliate for one of my promotions.

Think about it... sure there's a mini gamble here... but let's say I created a standard $100-ish info product for her. That's maybe 2-3 weeks of work. I would have had private label version of taht same product (so I still gain an asset if I later want to sell it on my end), I would have gained name exposure with her list though she would have taken full profits. BUT... if she were to then promote another of my offers, it could be worth thousands of leads to me. Each of those leads is typically worth thousands PER MONTH. (obviously rough numbers, rough examples here). Point is... back when I had no assets, no distribution, no credibility... to invest 2-3 weeks into creating a digital asset and then having a high probability of gaining thousands of leads worth thousands per month to me is a GREAT GREAT trade off.

I could offer that same deal to 1, 2, 3, 4 top names and even if just ONE followed through (and promoted my own next release), I'd be sitting pretty. All in my first 90 days.

Though, yes, as Curtis pointed out... this obviously would assume that you understand product development, research etc etc. THOUGH even then, you could just play middle man, find yourself 1 or 2 product developers, approach the top names, get their product specs, pay your product developers to create said products, you deliver on your promise and have yourself incredible leverage for a TRUE joint venture.

Curtis... thanks for the followup to my off-on-another-tangent post. Great points shared there.

[Aira]

Hi Rob,

I just read this but I am actually planning on implementing this from my small exposure to the JV world. It is true, once you tip the scales hard enough to one side, then the offer will simply be irresistible. I am pretty sure that this will work and it will work big time.

Thanks for contributing such valuable information.

Aira

[Chris Pambos]

Just like Curtis noted, Rob, you've shared such solid information with this community that the information itself could be packaged into a $XX product that I would pay for without thinking just knowing how powerful this advice is. I still can't believe that I didn't think of the strategy that you outlaid myself when I first got started within the IM niche. :-[

[MichaelCarter]

Very good post......it's logical and relevant.......putting an assurance to your clients that you and the product you are doing are true, authentic and real will definitely build your credibility and name......

[shireesh]

Brilliant Strategy! Definitely worth a shot.

[Chris Freville]

Hey Rob!

This is the exact strategy I'm looking at right now! I'm finding its a very attractive offer for all parties involved.

Win-win-win

Makes life a lot easier for both sides of the party too.

[Jeffrey Dean]

another similar strategy is offer a hundred dollar product you've created as a bonus to a "guru" for their product. You could just give it to them (for the life of whatever product launch) or ask if they would put your affiliate link on their home page in exchange.

[Steve Benn]

Hey Rob!

Fantastic post - I just don't think that most people are willing to what it takes to 'tip' the balance. Maybe it is laziness, or maybe, more likely, it's a result of fear.

What if it they reject me?
What happens if they accept me but it doesn't work out?

etc...

[ianternet]

really really good post - that is a real good interesting approach. but sometimes you want to be branded and grow your name I guess that can wait down the line as well? since you have the list already, realy good approach thoguh

[Martin Nodskov]

Good reading, super post! Thank you ;)

[paul@SimpleOnlineIncome.c]

Hi Rob
Thanks for some great advice here. I have been concerned at the fear of rejection...why would they bother with little old me! I am putting the finishing touches to my product, so will use the tips you have provided here
Taken on board
Paul

[jacksonlin]

I agree with the contents of this post, but what would you suggest for someone starting up in a niche that isn't in the IM market?

[Chris Derenberger]

Nice.. started reading this post and I couldn't quit.. :)

There's more valuable information here than I have read in books! Thanks for the
great information.

Chris

[Rob Toth]

@Jackson Lin ...

"I agree with the contents of this post, but what would you suggest for someone starting up in a niche that isn't in the IM market?"

There's not a shred of difference.

In fact, I don't recommend someone new even tries to start in the IM niche.

Many get started with "how to" for internet marketing or "how to" for making money online because it's what they now know. It's the sales letters they read, the sales videos they watched, the DVD packages they bought, the peers they met, the forums they hang out in, the blog they read, etc.

So they start up right in the same mix.

INSTEAD of taking all these tricks and tactics and stepping into easy-to-milk niches where they could quickly dominate and build a consistent income.

But back to your point....

The original post was simply aboug leveraging distribution and top authorities. The "niche" doesn't matter.

I don't care what vertical I'm in: real estate, mortgage brokers, skiiing instructors, home theatre systems. There are authorities in all of them. In some cases, the brand isn't the individual's name (as is common in the relationship-focused internet marketing segments)... it's instead a company name. But it's still an authority.

And how you JV with them is still similar.

You can change the numbers in my example too, to better suit your needs.

The point though, is if you want the quick exposure and if you realize the non-bottom-line benefits... then tipping the scale grossly in the favor of the authority who holds the distribution (or as I call it "the audience") is very smart.

Eben Pagan was one of the first in the IM circles to be talked about as someone who pays up to 200% commissions in their affiliate program to top qualifying super-affiliates.

The concept to me is second nature. Not because I'm oh so smart but because I have a lot of experience with over-delivering on the front to enjoy the benefits on the back.

but think about Eben's 200% aff comm payouts (to super affiliates only)... those super affiliates have the distribution in his particular niche (dating). They are sites like AskMen who have massive traffic and push a lot of gross sales to Eben. So OF COURSE he'll over-deliver to them.

Anyways, my point that I want to keep coming back to is understand that someone who holds a large volume of distribution (their list, their blog, whatever) and perceived authority in a market (the "guru" in that niche) is someone you carefully want to draft a VERY over-the-top in their favor proposal to.

[jacksonlin]

Thanks for your response Rob!

I am not "new" to internet marketing, just product creation. I have been affiliate marketing for a while and making good money.

Funny you mention Eban Pagan. I'm promoting his stuff and ranked no.1 on Google for his product review!

What I'm looking for is more specifics about to get affiliates in markets that are considered brand new with no other products already existing.

But thanks for your input.

[Brandon Schmid]

I can tell you personally that his strategy works. I have used it and I now have SEVERAL big mentors that help me today.

Makes all the difference when you are just starting out. This is true of any business be it online or offline.

Brandon

[John Wagner]

Alright, it makes sense to target non-IM niches, I'm sold. But that means I will have to join some new forums on my targeted niche(s) and where would I be without you guys?????

Sorry, just blinded a bit by all the light bulbs going off...I love these discussions, I'll be back.

[Rob Toth]

Well if you're staying in the "info product" model, then you definitely want to still stick around here to learn more about info product funnels and particularlly launches...

It just doesn't mean that what you learn has to be applied in the typical IM / make money / biz opp spaces.

In fact, to me this is a bit ridiculous... it's like having a group of magicians sharing their best magic trick tactics with each other and THEN trying to impress each other with their magic tricks.

Why not instead take those magic tricks and impress the general public (ie: a different niche).

Sure, learn, talk about, evaluate, test the different marketing strategies (and in this case Product Launch and JV related strategies).. but then don't just try to apply it in the exact same marketplace of people who are discussing and teaching it! Go milk the efficiency and profitability of those techniques in another niche.


But Rob... I don't know of another niche that I could make money in...

Go to Amazon and skim the non-fiction section. Get ideas. What are people writing about.

Go to Clickbank, scan the categories. What info products exist there.

Go to your magazine rack... what topics have magazines.

Ezine direcotires... what are there ezines out there about?

RSS directories... what topics/themes are in those RSS directories.

Blog directories... what kind of different topic blog exist that are popular.

Forum directories... etc....


BTW John, the above was OF COURSE not aimed at you by any means. But the "I don't know of profitable niches" objection comes up a LOT. To me finding easy to rank in and easy to dominate niches is a joke. And if what you first want is experience and cashflow starting with those niches is the smart idea... THEN go where your "long term business' and passion is.

Don't start in a hyper-saturated and, personally I'd also say, lame market such as IM. Sorry... I same lame because it basically is a bunch of magicians teaching magicians magic tricks. I'd rather instead see those magicians performing for others instead of just talking about it and selling to their peers. But that is certainly a personal preference and I DID get caught up in that mix for much too long myself.

ANyways... now I'm on a passionate rant that might soon be interpreted as rude (which is not the intent) so I'll chop it off here.